What do you do?:
I’m a physician in year 1 of a 4-year OBGYN residency at OHSU. Currently, I’m doing a gynecology rotation, which involves being in the operating room two days per week assisting with or performing benign gynecological surgeries, then in clinic two days per week at OHSU or the VA Hospital doing a variety of benign gynecology work including delivery. I spend Fridays at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center in Hillsboro, and am usually on call one day during the weekend. Residency is very time demanding!
What is a typical day like?:
Let’s say it’s an OR day: I arrive at OHSU around 6 a.m. and check on the in-patients, then do rounds with my team (a chief 4th year resident, an attending physician, and a medical student), then write notes and place orders for lab tests. We then head to the pre-op area to meet with our first patient, and then proceed to OR once they’re ready. When surgery is complete and the patient has been transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit, we move on to the next patient. At the end of the day, the team does a final round on all patients and then signs out to the night team. I leave between 7 and 9 p.m. after administrative work, answering e-mails, and preparing for the following day.
What was your path to get to where you are today?:
The path wasn’t a direct one. Immediately after graduating from high school, I went to Reed College where I earned an English degree. I thought I wanted to be a social worker but, after working for a nonprofit, decided that wasn’t the right career for me. I began volunteering with Outside In where I was able to work in the clinic. I loved it. Through my work at Outside In and Portland’s Q Center, I became interested in transgender healthcare issues. After deciding to pursue medical school, I enrolled at PSU where I earned a second bachelor’s degree in Biology. While at PSU, I continued volunteering (and working as a barista), served as a workshop leader for the General Chemistry course series, and engaged in undergraduate research with a Biology faculty member, which led to a co-authored publication. I applied broadly to medical schools, prioritizing those with reputations for valuing diversity and inclusion, and was fortunate to be admitted to UCSF’s Program in Medical Education (PRIME) for the Urban Underserved. I also applied for and received a Point Foundation Scholarship; this helped to reduce my total debt, which was still substantial in the end. I initially wanted to focus in family medicine, but changed my mind during my last (third-year) clerkship, which was in OBGYN. I’d become more interested in pursuing surgical transgender healthcare at that point and felt OBGYN was a good way to achieve that. After graduation, I was happy to be admitted to OHSU’s OBGYN residency program, known for being very supportive of residents and as an excellent training environment owing to the high volume of surgeries performed at OHSU.
What makes you excited to go to work every day?:
I enjoy many things about my job, including the technical aspects of surgery, the challenge of solving new problems, and taking care of women and underserved populations. I’ve especially enjoyed working in the delivery room. Birth is of course an amazing moment in people’s lives and it’s a privilege to be a part of that. Finally, all of my patients have been incredibly sweet and are always so thankful. These things make the long hours worthwhile.
What is next on your career path?:
It’s early to say, but I’m considering a fellowship in either female pelvic medicine and reproductive surgery or urogynecology in order to provide gender affirmation surgery. This would take an additional 1 or 3 years, respectively, after my current residency. My dream is to work for a university or general hospital.
Degree:
B.A. English (Reed) 2005; B.S. Biology (PSU) 2010; M.D. (UCSF) 2014